Incandescent
by Rivendell101
Summary: There are monsters in the world. Demons that crawl from the blackest pits and breach the Earth, murdering and feasting on the bones of humans. Lucy has spent her entire life training to fight the skeletons in her closet. Natsu has spent his life running from them. Unfortunate circumstances find the pair of them at Saint Katherine's Academy, a school of black magic and demons.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: And here's a new fic! Two stories posted in one day! Hurray! Be sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think ;)**

 **EDIT: Rating changed to M for violence! Just to be safe!**

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 **Incandescent**

 **Chapter One**

The air smells of musk and sweat and beneath that something sharper—something metallic that rests heavy in the room, coating her tongue and leaving a bitter taste in its wake. Lucy grimaces as the smell hits her, nearly recoiling at how pungent it is. She catches herself quickly, steeling her features and continuing into the crowded room, unimpressed with the flickering lights and water-stained ceiling of the abandoned warehouse. She steps in a puddle of what she hopes is water, eyeing the liquid with distaste before shaking off her boot.

She glances towards the group crowding the middle of the room, forming a large ring around a pair of fighters in the center, cheering and screaming as the men beat each other. According to the large screen overhead, one is called Bora of Prominence, and Lucy recognizes the tattoo above his eye from the flier she was given previously this week. The other fighter is simply called Jackal, and Lucy doesn't think she'll ever be able to forget the smile on his face as he draws blood.

Jackal lands a heavy blow across Bora's face, sending the man crashing to the floor. The crowd swallows him from sight and Jackal throws his head back and laughs, the sound drowned by the heavy beat of music flooding through the overhead speakers. There's something in Jackal's eyes that she doesn't like, amusement or maybe mirth, some twisted joy at seeing some bleed and hearing bones break.

Sneering, Lucy turns away, instead heading for the staircase off to the right, leading up the balcony overlooking the fights on three sides of the room, the front wall left bare. The music will be louder, she thinks, enough to give her a headache for days, but the view will be better. She's in no mood to fight through a screaming crowd just to watch a couple of men fight like dogs. If she wanted to watch people kill each other, she would have gone with Laxus to speak with Hades. No matter. Lucy didn't come here to listen to the fighters and the crowds scream. She came to recruit.

There have been whispers lately, rumors, and she intends to find out just how true they are.

Her foot touches down on iron, and the entire set of stairs quivers violently, trembling beneath her slight weight. She scoffs, glancing down at the rust beneath her dark boots and wondering if a fall from the top would kill her or merely leave her broken. Perhaps, a bit of both. Shaking the thought away, Lucy takes another step, one hand on the railing beside her. The metal is cool against her fingers, left uncovered by her ratty gloves stretched over her palms.

It's not the building she needs to watch out for at this point, it's the people—the monsters. A tall man built like a wall passes by her, heading for the ground floor, and Lucy thinks he might be one of the night's fighters, a man named Ezel that she saw briefly on the roster. His gaze rests heavy on her form, as she walks by, and Lucy clenches her jaw until she feels his eyes leave her frame. Her gun weighs heavy against her hip, a constant reminder of what lurks in the shadows, watching—hunting. Men. Animals. Monsters.

With her luck, all three.

Halfway up the stairs, Lucy freezes, her steps faltering as her grip tightens on the railing, her knuckles turning a stark white as her muscles tense. Pausing, Lucy breathes in heavily through her nose, searching for the phantom scent that seems to have disappeared as quickly as it came. She finds it again a moment later, the smell suffocating her, slithering down her throat and curling through her lungs, thick and dark and bitter. Sulfur floods her senses, choking her and resting thick on her tongue.

Lucy's lips pull back over her teeth and she snarls, casting a quick glance around the room for anything suspicious. Nothing. Her fingers itch to grab her gun, but the smell is faint, days old, so she forces herself to relax, knowing better than to work herself up over nothing. Besides, it's not a demon she's looking for.

It's a Dragon.

 _The_ Dragon. There have been rumors circulating, little whispers talking about the best fighter in the area—a man who can breathe fire. There's only two types of creatures able to do that, at least of those recorded in the old texts: draconian beasts and very brave, very stupid humans. She would bet good money on this instance being the latter. Most lizard men don't hunt this far North. Even if they did, she doubts she would find them skittering around an abandoned warehouse being used as a drug den and an underground fight ring.

Regardless of what it is, Lucy knows that there's something here worth finding.

Shaking her head, Lucy grits her teeth and continues towards the top. The steps rattle beneath her, but hold steady as she reaches the balcony. Lucy glances down at the fight below, just in time to watch Jackal drive a vicious kick into Bora's throat. The man drops to his knees, hands coming up to clasp his neck as he doubles over, vomit dripping from his chin.

The crowd cheers for Jackal, starting up a chant that Lucy can't quite make out from her position up above, the music too loud for her to hear much beside a steady beat and the ringing in her ears. No, she can't hear what they're saying, but she has a front row seat to watch the violence.

Again, Jackal attacks, this time with his fists. Blood sprays from Bora's mouth, dripping down his front and staining the concrete floor a dark color. Jackal laughs and throws another punch.

When Bora goes down, he doesn't get back up.

Lucy looks on in silence as the broken man is dragged from the ring, blood smearing across the floor as he's carelessly taken away. The heavy music quiets suddenly, just enough so that Lucy can hear the screaming from the crowd below and the low howl coming from Jackal. Her skin pricks at the sound, but she knows there's nothing to worry about.

He's not one of the others, and even if he was, it's a new moon and she's still the one packing heat. Lucy pulls her jacket tighter around herself, leaning forward against the iron bars on the railing, peering down at the ring just in time to see an announcer enter the circle. He raises one of Jackal's fists with one hand, signaling him as the winner. He starts talking, but Lucy is less than interested in anything he has to say.

She tunes out the crowd, pulling out her phone to check the time. A disappointed sound tears from her throat when she's sees it's only twelve, the night still young and alive. She could be here all night if the Dragon doesn't show soon, and she really doesn't have the patience to sit around that long without attracting trouble or getting in a fight herself. It was a mistake for Makarov to send her here, but she doubts he had many options to choose from. Between her and Laxus, it must have been a coin toss.

The phone slips back into her pocket, the little star keychain catching on her glove for only a moment, just long enough for the little charm to snap off entirely when she pulls back, sending it clattering to the ground. Lucy curses, twisting around to catch the little thing, only to be surprised when she finds someone already there.

She takes a step away her back pressing tight to the iron railing as she sees a man stoop down and grab the charm. Dark, green eyes lock with hers as he stands, shifting his weight from one side to the other as he stares back at her. He lifts a hand, running his fingers through damp strands of the most peculiar colored hair she's ever seen, brushing them away from his eyes as he looks down at her, the charm still clasped between his fingers. He straightens suddenly, and Lucy realizes that he's tall, roughly six feet, maybe a bit less, and broad in the shoulders, though not overwhelmingly so.

A fighter, if she had to guess. Lucy's lips press into a thin line, waiting for him to make the first move. She thinks she could take him, if only long enough to get away. Makarov won't be happy about it, but Lucy thinks he'll just have to deal with it.

The fighter reaches out suddenly, holding out the little star for her to take with a small smile. It's stupid really, how readily she takes it from him, but he only sends her a crooked grin that pulls at the ring in his lip and drops the charm into her open palm. Lucy catches the letters E.N.D. scrawled across his knuckles in thick ink, but his hand is gone a moment later, dropped back to his side. He gives her a nod, messy hair falling back into his eyes before he turns away, disappearing down the stairs without a word.

Lucy watches him until he's swallowed by the crowd, heading straight for the center ring and Jackal, his gait steady and his head high.

Lucy twists back around, turning back to the fights just as the overhead screen changes, revealing a new match. Jackal's name stays in place, the score beneath his name changing from fifteen-six to sixteen-six, another win added to his score. Bora's picture is replaced by that of the man she just met briefly, green eyes and rosy hair fill the space, but Lucy is drawn to his lips, stretched into that same crooked grin. The word "Salamander" flashes beneath the picture, and below that the numbers ten-zero.

Salamander enters the circle, and Lucy watches as his fingers slip beneath his shirt and pulls the fabric over his head slowly, making a show out of it. The crowd roars at the action and Salamander grins, tossing the shirt somewhere into the crowd where it's immediately swallowed up. She can't help but peruse the newly bared skin, gaze trailing over the bronze skin of his back and trailing over his shoulders as he rolls them. There's a tattoo resting between his shoulder blades, but she can't quite tell what it is.

He turns around suddenly, his back to Jackal as his gaze sweeps across the room, snapping to the balcony a moment later. He catches her gaze and his smile grows, his back straightening as he sees her watching him. Lucy quirks a brow, gaze slipping from his eyes down to his chest and then even lower before snapping back up. His lips twitch and he sends her a wink before spinning back around.

Lucy freezes as she finally realizes what the ink on his back is supposed to be. A dragon, black and coiled along his spine, wings high and brushing along the back of his neck. It's pretty, more delicate than ferocious, but that's not what catches her attention. No, the tattoo wouldn't be worth remembering if she'd never seen it before. But she has, seen it before. Once, in the profile of one of Makarov's former students. Same location, same design.

And she never has believed in coincidences.

Seems like she's found herself a dragon.

Letting out a breathless little laugh, Lucy settles against the railing, her curiosity piqued by the stranger down in the ring. The announcer says something else, arm moving in a sweeping gesture towards Salamander, an introduction of sorts. Jackal sneers at the attention being given to the newcomer, but his cockiness doesn't deflate.

She glances back at their stats, curious. Jackal is the more experienced of the two, and judging by the cheering he's also the crowd favorite. However, Salamander has the better record. No losses compared to Jackal's six.

This should certainly be interesting.

There's a shrill blow from a whistle, the announcer leaping out of the way as the crowd screams and cheers, names being called and bets being placed. Lucy never has been one for placing bets, but if she war, she knows exactly who she would place money on.

The two men collide in the center, diving straight into the fight rather than dancing around each other. Lucy can't decide if it's a brave move or an incredibly stupid one, she knows little of fights like this. Fighting has always been Laxus' forte, not hers.

Salamander gives the first blow, a fist cracking across Jackal's jaw with so much force that Lucy can hear the blow from all the way up on the balcony. Jackal snarls back, spitting out blood before lashing out with a foot, his leg catching Salamander across the chest and forcing him backwards. He catches Jackal's foot in one hand and jerks him forward, sending the other man stumbling before knocking him clean across the jaw before releasing him.

The victory is short lived and Jackal comes back with a vengeance, catching Salamander twice across the jaw before landing a blow just above his eye, hitting him hard enough to split the skin and draw a line of blood down the side of Salamander's temple. Lucy watches as Salamander takes a heavy blow to the face, one that sends his head snapping to the side, blood dripping from a split on his lip.

It's over before it really starts, in her opinion.

One moment, Salamander is rocking on his feet and wiping the blood from his chin, Jackal gloating from across the ring. He says something Lucy can't hear, his head thrown back in a laugh. The crowd roars at Jackal's taunts, but his opponent doesn't react, eyen as the crowd sneers and the timer, set for four minutes, continues to count down, over three minutes left.

In the next second, Salamander has lunged forward, his right fist striking Jackal across the jaw, the other colliding with his cheek, snapping his head around to one side. He doesn't stop there. His right arm swings back around and he drives a fist into Jackal's gut. The man doubles over, blood on his lips, and Salamander swing up with his knee, cracking Jackal across the nose. There's a gush of blood, and Lucy knows it's broken.

Jackal stumbles back, blood coating his lips and dripping down his chin. He snarls then, and his teeth are stained a violent red. He lunges, but Salamander is faster. He skirts around Jackal, an arm wrapping around his throat as he forces the other man to his knees with a well placed kick. Jackal goes down, fingers clawing wildly at the arm wrapped around his neck, nails drawing blood as he struggles. Jackal thrashes against Salamander, but can't dislodge him.

Lucy watches in utter fascination as Jackal's face turns a bright shade of red, his oxygen cut off. The man gasps, wheezing, and his clawing becomes desperate, his eyes wide and terrified as he finds himself unable to breathe.

For a moment, she thinks that's it, Salamander has won. He's going to choke Jackal until he blacks out. She's wrong, however, in an instant, Salamander releases the gasping man, releasing Jackal and letting the other man suck in a greedy breath from where he's collapsed on his knees.

She quirks a brow, knowing the rules state that the fight continues until one opponent can't continue, unconscious or otherwise. She isn't left waiting for long. Salamander circles Jackal, who attempts to struggle back to his feet, an angry bruise blooming against his throat. Blood drips from Jackal's broken nose, staining the floor beneath him.

Salamander steps in front of jackal, murmuring something that's swallowed by the music and crowd. Jackal's eyes go wide for only a moment, his lips moving rapidly, and then Salamander swings around on one leg, striking Jackal across the face with the other and watching him drop backwards, his head hitting the concrete floor with a crack.

The crowd crescendos, beginning a chant of Salamander's name. Jackal doesn't get up, doesn't move, and for the briefest moment she wonders if he's dead. The announcer steps into the ring, ducking down to Jackal's side before signaling a pair of men forward.

They drag him away just as they did Bora.

She casts a fleeting look Salamander's way, finding his eyes already locked onto her. Her charm burns against her palm as she stares back, watching as he wipes the blood from his chin, smearing it across his tattooed knuckles.

His eyes burn into hers, but Lucy tears her gaze away, making her way down the iron steps. She can feel his gaze on her back, but he doesn't follow, and when the crowd swallows Lucy she disappears, heading straight for the door.

The dragon tattoo flashes to the front of her mind, and Lucy has her phone out before the warehouse doors are slamming shut behind her, the dial tone already ringing as she leans back against the steel siding.

He answers, but doesn't speak, waiting for her. "Dedushka," she greets quietly, casting a quick glance around her. While she doubts that anyone would understand her if they were listening in, she's not willing to take that risk. Lucy brushes her jacket aside, fingering the gun at her hip as she wets her lips.

"Zvyozdochka," he responds in kind, accent thick and low. He says nothing else, and Lucy sighs, sucking on her teeth in annoyance. She never has liked phone calls, least of all with those who don't make good conversation.

She lets several seconds tick by before responding. "Ya nashel chto-to interesnoye." Her fingers drum against her side, painted nails digging into her skin as she rolls the star charm between her fingers, thinking back to the Salamander.

There's a crackling from the other line, a heavy breath as the man mulls over the words. There are plenty of things that might interest him, though not many that she would risk a phone call for. He knows this. "Chto eto?" he asks, deep timber echoing through the speaker.

Lucy grins, drawing out the silence a little longer. She glances down at the charm in her hand, then shoves it deep into her coat pocket, her grin widening, if only a little. "I found Igneel's kid."

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 **AN: All right! Here's the start of a new adventure! This will be a blend of dark action and humor, so don't think this fic is going to be 100% serious! Be sure to leave a comment and tell me what you think :) Also, chapters are likely to get longer from here o out, but I'm trying to stick to continuous scenes and not skip around and time jump so much!**

 **PS: Sorry if the Russian isn't completely accurate, I did the best I could!**

 **All those who review (not through guest) will receive a short preview of the next chapter! If this can get more than twenty, I'll probably scream lol**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Welcome back to chapter two! I hope you enjoy it and be sure to leave a review when you finish! Huge thank you to everyone that left a review on chapter one, you guys are amazing!**

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 **Incandescent**

 **Chapter Two**

The pair stand on the metal balcony, overlooking the fights once more. Lucy is more comfortable in the damp, metallic smelling warehouse than the night before, but she equates that more to the man standing beside her, rather than the atmosphere. She glances sideways at her partner, eyeing the man wearily, though not for a lack of trust. It's been awhile since she's seen him, is all. Too long. For a long while she thought he wasn't coming back after what happened. When Makarov told her he was sending backup the night before, she never thought to ask who he would send.

She almost wishes she had.

He shifts beside her, hands clenching and unclenching as he stares down at the fight below, watching in apt fascination as one man breaks the nose of another, sending a spray of blood through the air. The crowd roars below, and she sees the hint of a grin pull at his lips. It disappears as soon as he notices her watching, his usual frown slipping back into place as his back straightens, his shoulders going tense.

Gajeel peers down at her almost lazily as he crosses his arms over his broad chest, long dark ponytail swishing against his back as he stares. His jacket slips to the side and Lucy notices the faint outline of a gun beneath his shirt, tucked into his waistband less than discreetly. He always has been one for dramatic flare.

He clears his throat suddenly, and Lucy stops playing with the charm on her phone, blinking up at him curiously. For a long moment, he doesn't speak, just glares down at her, eyeing her frame. "Why am I here again?" he asks her, voice deep and gruff. She's always had the impression that Gajeel gargles sand in his spare time.

Lucy spares him a second glance before turning back to the fights. "You're the muscle, Gajeel," she reminds him lightly, crossing her own arms and leaning against the rail. One of the fighters goes down, blood dripping down the side of his face. He doesn't get back up and Lucy doesn't think he would last a day hunting real monsters.

Beside her, Gajeel snorts, his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. "You don't need me to be your muscle." He leans forward, mirroring her pose. He murmurs something else under his breath as the downed fighter is dragged from the ring, but Lucy doesn't catch it.

She doesn't look at him as she replies, "Nope." She would have preferred to do this alone, if she's being honest, but she also knows that this isn't just about her or what she can do, this about Gajeel getting a second chance. He messed up last time, but she knows it wasn't his fault, not really anyway. It could have happened to any of them.

No, she doesn't need Gajeel to be her muscle, but he's her friend and she'll do whatever she can to make sure he sticks around for good.

Gajeel isn't nearly as impressed with her answer. He turns away from the fights entirely, towering over her almost threateningly, sneering, and Lucy sighs. She pulls away from the railing, arms dropping to her sides as she blinks up at him. After a moment, his threatening stance loosens, his shoulders dropping and the anger bleeding from his expression, leaving only morbid curiosity and perhaps frustration. She would be frustrated, too. "Again, why am I here?" he repeats, quieter this time.

"You want to know why you're really here?" She doesn't wait for an answer, and the words are more bite than bark when they come out of her mouth. "You fucked up last time, Gajeel," she reminds him, tone even—clipped. Her teeth snap together with a click and she turns away from him, shame creeping down her throat and squeezing at her heart. It isn't what she wanted to say, but it's the truth. She won't lie to him.

There's a sharp clacking sound as his teeth snap together, his jaw clenching so tightly that a muscle jumps. Gajeel stares down at her, hands curling into tight fists. There's a moment of silence between them, the air thick. "That wasn't my fault," he growls, so low she almost can't hear him over the screaming below.

Sighing, Lucy turns back to him, fingers slipping beneath the hem of her shorts, nails digging into the skin. Her gaze snaps up, locking with his, and she's relieved to see the steel gone from his expression, his eyes more melancholy than anything else. " _You_ were in charge," she hisses, holding his gaze, "that makes it your fault."

She knows he would do anything to fix what happened, but it's just not that easy.

He snarls at her. "If Jet and Droy hadn't—"

Lucy cuts him off. "Jet and Droy aren't _here_ ," she reminds him lowly, immediately ashamed of the words when Gajeel lurches away from her, stumbling and backing into the railing, his weight just enough to make the metal creak eerily. "You are." He won't meet her gaze as she continues, but frankly she doesn't give a damn. "I don't give a damn if you help me or not, but if you walk away right now…" The words catch in her throat and Gajeel finally looks up. Lucy sighs, shaking her head slowly. "Makarov won't take you back. Not this time."

He's silent for a long moment, and Lucy turns back to the fights, leaving him to stand next to her and sulk. He needs to learn to take responsibility for these things. Things don't get any easier for people like them.

"You wouldn't plead my case?" he finally murmurs back, glancing sideways at her as he relaxes back against the railing, mindful of his weight against the old metal. "I'm hurt, Bunny." She shoots him a look at the nickname, catching a glimpse of the smirk tugging at his lips.

Her lips press into a thin line, eyes narrowing. "Gajeel." It's a warning, one he's been known to ignore in the past, at that. His potential expulsion is serious. People almost _died_. Lucy fails to see the humor in any of it.

Gajeel snorts, bumping her roughly with an elbow to the ribs. "Relax," he tells her, softer than before, voice growing as serious as she's ever heard it. "I'm not going leave you here by yourself." His lips quirk up at the edges, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "You need me, right?" Lucy rolls her eyes good-naturedly, her own lips twisting up at the corners.

It's quiet between them for a long moment. "Are we even sure this is Igneel's kid?" Gajeel asks her, peering over the railing at a new fight. He winces when someone takes a hit, but Lucy isn't paying enough attention to know who.

"Would we be here if we weren't?" she replies, squinting down at her phone and trying not to feel offended by Gajeel's lack of faith. She knows what she saw last night. Besides, Gajeel never has been the trusting type. He believes in his own eyes, not secondhand knowledge. Frankly, that's just too bad for him, because right now she's in charge.

It must come out more scathing that she meant, because he holds his hands up between them, placating her. "I'm just sayin'," he grumbles under his breath, "this _has_ happened before." Gajeel crosses his arms and leans them against the railing, almost sulking at her sharpness.

Lucy winces at the response. This _has_ happened before. Several times. Not just with Igneel, but with many of the old hunters and their apprentices. SKAZKA's been looking for years now, but so far they've only been able to find a few like Gajeel and Erik. The hunters hid them well and when they disappeared—Lucy shakes her head, dispelling the thought.

What's important is that they've found another one. That's all that really matters.

Lucy sighs through her nose, jaw clenching for only a moment. "I know what I saw, Gajeel," she snaps back, making sure to keep her voice low as a group of older men pass behind them. Her teeth grind together, her fingers curling violently around the metal railing.

She would know that tattoo anywhere.

A heavy hand lands on her shoulder, fingers wrapping around the joint and giving a gentle squeeze. "And I believe you." Gajeel takes a half-step closer to her, his head ducking down so that he can whisper in her ear. "But are you absolutely sure it's _him_?"

She gives a jerky nod and he steps back. "I am." Lucy sighs, dragging her gaze away from the fights to look at Gajeel when something over his shoulder catches her eyes. A shock of bright, rosy hair stands out in the crowd. While he isn't the only one with brightly colored hair in the crowd, he's certainly the most memorable.

Sharp, green eyes lock with hers, only for a moment, and Lucy thinks he might not recognize her—which isn't all too surprising, given the circumstances. She probably wouldn't have given him a second thought after last night, had she not gotten an eyeful of his back.

The Salamander comes closer, skirting around spectators as he heads for the stairs. Another match must be starting. Lucy glances to the ground floor, noticing the fighting has stopped, and one of the men have been dragged away. Cursing under her breath, Lucy glances around, looking for anything to get his attention. She settles on Gajeel. "Stick out your foot," she demands, not sparing him a glance as she keeps as eye on the Salamander. Gajeel hesitates, much to her frustration. " _Now_."

He does, and just in time. Salamander stumbles forward and pitches to the left as Gajeel discreetly jerks him around before turning back to the lower level. He slips into a casual position just as Salamander catches himself on the railing beside Lucy with one arm, a breath away from crashing into her as the other settles low on her hip. Her own arms come up, bracing against his shoulder to keep him from tumbling clear over the railing.

He inhales sharply, swearing under his breath, and his fingers tighten around her hip. His fingers around the metal bar turn white at the knuckles at the pressure and Lucy smirks, having him right where she wants him.

"Bit clumsy, Salamander?" she jokes, gaining his attention rapidly. He blinks down at her, fingers suddenly tightening on her hip, and Lucy just smiles, playing coy. If he knows that he was tripped on purpose, he certainly doesn't act like it. He stares for a moment, not saying a word, and Lucy's smile widens, red lips pulling back over her teeth in a wolfish grin.

His mouth opens, then closes again as his green lock with hers, confused but curious. "You were here last night," he murmurs, voice deeper than she was expecting, low and a bit hoarse. It sends a shiver right up Lucy's spine, a pleasant tingle that spreads and tugs low at her gut. Behind him, Gajeel quirks a brow, his lips twisting into a frown as he glances between the to of them before shrugging and turning back to the match below, a new one that's just starting.

Lucy's gaze snaps back to Salamander, finding him still peering down at her curiously. His hand hasn't left her hip, but Lucy doesn't mind. It wouldn't still be there if she did. "Good memory," she tells him, tilting her head up just the slightest to get a better look at him. He's closer than she was expecting, but it's nothing she can't handle.

She removes her hand from his chest, her freehand coming down to play with the charm on her phone, something of a nervous tick she's developed in recent years. He clears his throat and takes a step back, hand slipping from her waist to run through his unruly hair, the rosy strands sticking up in soft-looking spikes. His other hand stays locked around the railing, knuckles stark white. Lucy bites back a laugh, teeth pulling at her lower lip.

He glances down at her lips, swallowing hard. "You're hard to forget," he tells her. Lucy wonders if he means it, holding back a smile. Lucy can't be that special that he would remember her, they never said one word to each other the night before. Either he's lying or he has a _very_ good memory.

Lucy kind of hopes it's the later.

From behind him, Gajeel pretends to gag, making faces and looking positively green. Lucy rolls her eyes at the display, ignoring her friend entirely as she glances up at the fighter, giving him an appreciative once over. "Is that so?" she teases, giggling slightly. maybe he isn't lying. There's something honest about his eyes, something so sincere that she has to look away.

He looks away as well, shuffling on his feet for a moment, running his fingers through his hair almost nervously. He glances over the railing, looking down at the fight going on below. Salamander chews his lower lip for a long moment, the fingers of his free hand tapping against his side rhythmically. "So, what'd you think?" he asks suddenly. Lucy quirks a brow and he dips his chin towards the ground floor and the crowd circling a pair of fighters.

"Of your fight?" she hums, gaining a nod from him. She smiles, thinking back to it. Truthfully she wasn't watching as closely as she could have been, though, she does know he was holding back. "It was all right, she lies, shrugging slightly, "seemed like a pretty even match to me."

He scoffs taking the bait easily, and Lucy smothers a smile. Even Gajeel has turned to look at her, confusion clear on his face. She hopes he'll keep quiet and trust her on this. Salamander rises to his full height, nearly a foot taller than her, but still several inches shorter than Gajeel. "Oh, please," his tone is almost bored as he blinks down at her, shoving his free hand into the pocket of his jeans, "Jackal never had a chance."

She wants to say that he's being cocky, but knows that he's absolutely right. However, she would never tell him this out loud. Instead, she leans back, locking eyes with him and letting a small, challenging smile pull at her lips. "Really?" she says slowly, mindful of how his eyes follow the shape of her mouth before snapping back up to meet hers. "Because from where I was standing, it looked like Jackal wasn't the only one bleeding."

Lucy glances pointedly down at his jaw, a purple bruise marring his skin. There's a cut above his brow, threaded shut nicely, but sure to leave a faint scar.

"I was holding back last time," he tells her, slightly offended, but there's a smile on his lips, so Lucy doesn't think she's hurt his pride too badly. "Gotta put on a show." Now that she certainly believes. Salamander grins down at her and it's all teeth. He cracks his knuckles suddenly, and Lucy again notices the writing across his fingers. She wonders what they stand for, but thinks it may be rude to ask.

She swallows, wetting her lips. His gaze is suffocating in the best possible way, but that's not why she's here. They need to be absolutely sure about this, after all. More for Gajeel's sake than hers. "I'm sure you were," she replies.

He quirks a brow, teeth pulling at his lower lip. Again, the ring there catches her eye, silver glinting in the low lighting. "You don't believe me?" he asks, voice husky and low as he leans down towards her, only a breath away. Lucy's breath catches in her throat, and she glances between his lip ring and his eyes, impossibly green and amused, though there's something else there too, something that crackles with heat, something challenging.

"Well, you have to prove it," she finally breathes back, her tongue heavy in her mouth. Belatedly, she realizes he smells like cinnamon, his cologne tickling at her nose. It's strange, overwhelming and should be too strong, but she finds it oddly pleasant. There's something familiar about it, and she thinks it may be the same cologne that Laxus wore for a time in his high school years.

His head cocks to one side, amusement on his lips. He leans in just a hair closer, nose almost bumping against hers. Either he has no sense of personal space, or he knows exactly what he's doing to her. She'd bet money on the second. "How?" he asks her, and Lucy can feel the warmth of his breath against her skin. The challenge is there in his eyes, and Lucy takes it.

Lucy leans back, pressing one hand to his chest and edging him away from her, just enough to look him right in the eyes. "Three hits," she tells him, watching as his brows raise at the challenge. If he wants to boast to her, he has to prove it first. Three hit is asking a lot, she knows, but—she glances down at his arms, watching as they flex—she thinks he can do it.

"Three?" he repeats, shock evident on his face. Even Gajeel turns to her, surprised and a little confused. There's also humor there, but she ignores it. Salamander releases a breathy sound from his nose, almost a snort, and he looks down at her like she's a bit crazy. He glances back down at the ring, the pair of fighters still swinging at each other after several minutes. Looking back at her, he quirks a brow, smile faltering only slightly.

It's a lot to ask, she knows, but she wouldn't have said it if she didn't think he could do it. "You scared?" she teases, inching closer to him, just enough for her to hear him inhale sharply before she jerks back, giggling lightly.

He sucks his teeth for a long moment, then goes back to pulling at his lip ring, is tongue coming out to play with the ring. Salamander holds her gaze for several long seconds, fingers tapping against the metal railing as he weighs his options. Finally, he smiles and it's all teeth. He leans down, closer than before, lips brushing against her ear. "I can do it in two," he breathes, right hand coming up to settle against her waist only briefly, fingers barely a ghost against her covered skin.

"Is that a challenge?" she asks him, fighting to keep her voice level as he leans into her. His knee bumps against hers and then he's pulling back, leaving her entirely.

He gives her a once over, humming to himself. "Definitely," he murmurs back.

Below them, the fight ends, though neither pay attention to the outcome. Behind him, Gajeel whoops as one of the two fighters is knocked onto his back, sprawled across the floor and unable to rise. The announcer, a man with bright, dyed blue hair and a pair of headphones around his neck, stands in the center, calling out the winner's name as the loser is dragged from the ring. He calls out the name of the next fighter, Salamander, and the pair of them glance down for a moment.

Lucy swallows. "And what do you get if you win?" she murmurs, barely audible over the roar of the crowd. She knows he has to go, but a part of her wants to keep him talking for longer, because she needs to know if he really is Igneel's kid, but also because he's interesting. Even if he isn't Igneel's kid, they could use him at Saint Katherine's. He can fight, he's already proved that much.

She wonders if he believes in monsters under the bed.

"How 'bout your name?" he asks her, softer than before, sounding more curious than flirty. If it were anyone else she would laugh at the suggestion, turn them down, and send Gajeel after them if they insisted. She knows better than to give out her name to strangers, especially in places like this. There's something honest about him though, something she thinks she can trust. Lucy always has been one to trust her gut. Besides, she brought Gajeel with her for a reason.

"Deal." She holds out her hand for him to shake, which he does with a quiet laugh. Below, the announcer calls out his name once more, and overhead one of the two pictures on screen is replaced with his. "Looks like you have a match, Salamander," she tells him, releasing him and twisting to lean back against the railing.

He smiles, then leans in close once more. "Call me Natsu" he breathes against her ear, pulling back and heading for the stairs without a second look. Lucy holds her breath as she watches him walk away, disappearing out of sight moments later. She mouths his name as he leaves, smiling to herself.

Gajeel bumps her with a hip suddenly, gaining her full attention. She snaps around, meeting his eyes, embarrassed to find him looking at her in amusement. "Next time you decide to get weirdly sexual about things, can you not take me with you?" he asks her, leaning forward against the railing. Lucy spins around as well, just in time to see Natsu shove his way through the crowd and into the ring.

He glances up at her, eyes locking with hers, and Lucy bites back a smile. "I wasn't acting sexual," she grumbles back to Gajeel, kicking at his ankle gently.

A snort comes from her left, the bar shaking as Gajeel chuckles. "He flexed his arm and you almost started drooling," he informs her, something sly in his voice. She kicks him again and he laughs harder.

She rips her gaze away from Natsu to glare at him, her lips pressed into a thin line. "You really want to make fun of me, Gajeel?" She challenges him, quirking a brow. "My report tonight is the only thing keeping you from ending up sleeping under a bridge," she reminds him, hissing slightly as she turns back to the fight below, waiting for it to start as the announcer continues to speak, listing off statistics and introducing the fighters to the crowd.

Gajeel pats her on the back gently, though the force still sends the air rushing from her lungs. "We both know you're too soft for that," he jokes. Lucy rolls her eyes, knowing it's true. If they were allowed to live off campus, she would let him live on her couch.

Lucy watches as Natsu's fingers slip beneath his shirt. The fabric is pulled over his head in, not nearly as slowly as the night before, but the crowd still cheers at the action. Again, Lucy finds her gaze drifting down his torso, this time his chest. There's a tattoo there she hadn't noticed before, a black rose settled over his heart. He catches her look, sending her another wink and a smile before turning his back to her.

Beside her, Gajeel sucks in a breath between his teeth when he sees the dragon tattoo, his own hand drifting to the ink on his shoulder, a finger brushing along the covered tattoo.

There's a shrill blow from a whistle, and again the men collide in the center. It's over before it even starts. Two hits he promised. The first knocks his opponent across the jaw, causing his head to snap to one side. It's unexpected, Natsu moving before Lucy can even blink. The other man doubles forward, shocked, and Natsu brings his knee up to crunch against the man's nose, breaking it and sending a gush of blood rushing down the man's chin and lips. He collapses a moment later, his eyes rolling back in his head before he even hits the ground.

The crowd goes silent, utterly stunned, and Lucy holds her breath as Natsu turns back around. He locks eyes with her once more, raising a challenging brow.

Gajeel swears at her side.

She nudges him with her foot, swallowing thickly. "Still think he's not Igneel's kid?" she murmurs, gaze still locked on the man below.

* * *

 **AN: This is longer than intended, but all right! Next chapter is when things start to pick up. Please be sure to leave a review when you're done!**

 **EDIT: I've decided that if this chapter can get 50+ reviews, I'll update again on Wednesday!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Welcome back to chapter two! I hope you enjoy it and be sure to leave a review when you finish! Huge thank you to everyone that left a review on chapter two, you guys are amazing!**

* * *

 **Incandescent**

 **Chapter Three**

"What the fuck," Gajeel murmurs, staring down at Natsu from the balcony. His knuckles turn white as he grasps the metal railing, leaning forward to get a better look. Down below, Natsu stares back at Lucy, green eyes unnaturally bright. She finds herself unable to look away as he stands in the center of the ring, his lips twisting up into a smile that's all teeth. Her breath catches in her throat, eyes widening in something between surprise and amusement. Natsu sends her a wink then, and Lucy feels her face heat slightly, her lips twitching into a smile.

Gajeel elbows her in the ribs, gaining her attention. She blinks up at him, head tilting to the side curiously. A moment later she stiffens, narrowing her eyes, not liking the way his lips are curling up in a smirk. His gaze is amused as he stares down at her. "Someone wanted to impress you," he teases, nudging her once more.

She shoves him back, rolling her eyes before crossing her arms. When she looks back at Natsu he's already turned away, his back to her as he converses with the announcer. Lucy's eyes narrow as she catches the look on the man's face, his expression twisted into something like rage. The announcer hisses something at Natsu, his gaze fierce, and even from here she can see the fighter's body go tense. He leans toward the announcer, snarling something that has the other man stepping back. The announcer throws his hands up, then turns and walks away.

Natsu's head snaps around to look at her once again, his shoulders relaxing when he sees her waiting there. He smiles, but it's faint, tense, and Lucy realizes that something is wrong. The announcer doesn't look at him as he calls out for the next match. A new name replaces the one the Natsu fought, but his stays in place, much to her annoyance.

She understands how it works, of course. The winner stays until they're knocked down or there's no one left.

Natsu's eyes stay locked with hers, and Gajeel's words come back to her. She kicks at her friend, hitting his shin lightly. "He's a crowd pleaser," she murmurs back, shrugging slightly. At least, she thinks so. He certainly put on quite the show last night, after all. This time it was faster, not nearly as showy, but even more exhilarating in her opinion.

Maybe it's the thrill of watching a man drop that quickly—that effortlessly, or maybe it's because she was right. They've found a new recruit, and one with training to boot. Usually, the new recruits can't fight to save their own lives, but they're angry, they want to learn. Regardless, she's certain that he's a people pleaser, a cocky one, but a people pleaser nonetheless. He wouldn't have taken her challenge if he wasn't.

He has something to prove, and Lucy knows that that's either going to be the thing that makes him strong, or it's going to get him killed.

Gajeel snorts at her response. He pries his hands from the railing, leaning forward and crossing them instead, his elbows pressed to the metal bars. A new match begins, and Gajeel casts her a sideways glance, one brow quirked in disbelief. "My ass," he huffs, rolling his eyes, scoffing at her comment. "Crowd pleaser," he murmurs under his breath, almost too low for her to hear.

She ignores it. "What about your ass?" she asks him, teasing. She knows exactly what he's insinuating—knows that he's probably right, too, but that doesn't mean she has to give him the satisfaction of agreeing. She knows Gajeel. If she blushes and admits that _maybe_ he's right, it'll go straight to his head. An arrogant Gajeel is her least favorite Gajeel. Besides, he should know better than to mock her right now. She's the only thing keeping him from being kicked out of Saint Katherine's for good.

He owes her and he knows it.

"Don't play coy, Dreyar," Gajeel snaps back, shoving at her once more. Lucy rolls her eyes, not too concerned with her friend at the moment. At least he's not as angry as he was earlier. She'll take teasing Gajeel over pissed Gajeel any day of the week. "It's not a good look on you," he finishes, straightening to his full height as the fight begins.

Briefly, she wonders if Natsu will end it so quickly a second time, but three hits later, she knows he's holding back once more. "I beg to differ," she tells Gajeel, gaze trained on Natsu. He's a heavy hitter, she notes, but also light on his feet, fast. He's definitely had some kind of training, compared to the other fighters, and that just solidifies her theory.

Gajeel snorts, leaning back from the railing. She glances up at him, watching his expression turn bored as he stares down at the fight. So he knows, too, then, that Natsu's holding back. As if feeling her gaze on him, Gajeel peeks over at her, raising a brow. He glances down at Natsu, then back at her. "I'm sure he'd really love to please you though, so you're not entirely wrong there."

Lucy chokes on her spit and Gajeel cackles. She wonders what would happen if she shoved him over the railing. Makarov wouldn't be happy about it, but he'd get over it. Levy would be mad, but Lucy could deal with that I it meant Gajeel would _shut up_. And she thought Laxus was bad. "I swear," she hisses at him, sending him the meanest look she can muster, "I'm going to kick you out of the car at a Denny's on the way home and leave you to get mugged."

Gajeel pulls a face, but he shuts up. Lucy sighs, relieved, and allows herself to relax a bit. Natsu's second fight is done by the time she turns back, and she finds his eyes already on her. It doesn't last for long. Another fight is called, and she sees his eyes harden, his shoulders slumping as he realizes another fight is about to begin.

Beside her, Gajeel sighs, his own shoulders going rigid. "He really is Igneel's kid," he murmurs, watching Natsu with shrewd eyes. He drums his fingers against the metal railing, expression pinched. His teeth grind together suddenly, loud enough for Lucy to hear, and she cringes at the grating sound. "About fucking time we found him," Gajeel snarls under his breath, shaking his head slowly.

Lucy sighs, shifting on her feet for a moment before placing a hand on his shoulder, giving him a comforting squeeze. Gajeel spares her a quick glance, his gaze softening slightly as he looks at her. His shoulder shakes beneath her palm, but ignores it. "Do you think he knows what happened to—" she cuts off suddenly, sucking in a sharp breath. Lucy shakes her head, unable to finish her question.

He seems to understand, leaning into her touch slightly. "I don't know," he tells her gently. "Mikhail just disappeared one day. I'm guessing Igneel did the same." He bares his teeth at the mention of his father. It's a sore subject for him, she knows. His father just disappeared. No note. No body. Nothing. Just gone. She can't imagine what that would be like.

At least Lucy had bodies to bury. She knew what became of her family. Gajeel doesn't even have that.

"You know, there's a chance they're not dead," she reminds him, not looking at him. She watches the fight below, watches Natsu take a blow to the face that sends him stumbling backwards, watches him return the hit twice as hard. "You didn't find a body," she continues softly, wrapping her arms around herself, throat growing thick with emotion. "They could still be…" she trails off, biting her lip, not sure what else to say.

A heavy hand falls on her shoulder, Gajeel giving her a comforting squeeze, even though she should be the one helping him. She made her peace already. Though, she supposed the situations are different. Lucy's father made a mistake that got both him and her mother killed. They didn't want to leave her. Gajeel's father might have just— _left_. She has no idea what that would be like.

His hands slips from her shoulder, patting her on the head instead. "I know, Bunny, I know," he murmurs, glancing down at her with a half-smile.

She sends him back the best smile she can muster. "Maybe he'll have answers," she reminds him, trying to look on the bright side of things. They've found one of the missing hunter's kids. They might get answers on where they all disappeared to. Saint Katherine's might be getting a new recruit, which they desperately need now. And Lucy? We'll, she's found someone interesting.

"Maybe he won't," Gajeel counters, shrugging his shoulders. He always has been one to assume the worst. He's not a worrier by any means, but she knows that he'd rather be realistic than hold hope in something that will just disappoint him in the end. And she gets it, she does. She was there once too, but not having hope only made her a shell of who she was.

She glances up at him, coy. "Don't be a pessimist, Gajeel," she says almost mockingly, echoing his words from before. "It's not a good look on you." She turns on her heel, heading for the stairs. For a moment, silence is her only answer, but then she hears him chuckle, the sound low and familiar.

Lucy grins as she walks down the stairs, taking them two at a time. The air is beginning to give her a headache, the noise as well. Besides, she has no interest in waiting around and watching Natsu half-ass his fights. Now that she's seen what he can really do, they almost seem like a joke.

It takes a moment, but she can hear Gajeel follow after her, slower, taking the steps one at a time. He leaves space between them, hanging back several feet instead of catching up like she expects, though she isn't entirely sure why.

While heading down the stairs, she casts a glance towards the ring, noticing that the third fight has ended. Natsu meets her gaze for a moment, murmurs something to the announcer, then starts towards her, pushing through the crowd. Lucy comes to a halt just outside of the ring, waiting for him to reach her side. Gajeel stalks past her, casually bumping his shoulder as he walks by, heading for the front doors of the warehouse.

Lucy waits for Natsu to reach her side, shoving her hands into her pockets as he worms his way through the crowd to meet her. He's beside her in a moment, bruised and bloody, but smiling nonetheless. He wets his lips as he comes to stand next to her, grimacing when he tastes the blood on his mouth from a particularly vicious hit that she must have missed.

"You leavin'?" he asks her, curious. The announcer calls his name, shouting for him to come back, but Natsu ignores him, keeping his eyes on Lucy. He shuffles on his feet, ducking down slightly to get closer to her.

She grins back at him, turning to face him better, wincing as the crowd beginning to jeer at him, snarling crude things that Lucy wishes she could unhear. She hears something about herself, as well, but ignores it in favor of staring up at him. "Heading outside," she replies, shrugging slightly, suddenly nervous under the weight of so many people's eyes. She doesn't like being looked at by so many people. "It's loud in here," she murmurs, grimacing slightly.

Natsu laughs, deep and throaty, and Lucy shivers at the sound. He ducks down just the slightest, leaning in so that his lips brush against her ear. "Two hits," he breathes against her, low and almost teasing. Her heart stutters at the sound, pulse racing and a heat spreading through her. "I told you."

He doesn't pull back, just smiles against her skin, so close that she can feel the heat from his breath against her cheek and neck. For once, she's incredibly glad that Gajeel disappeared on her. She'd much rather not give him something else to tease her about.

Lucy leans back slightly, just enough to meet his eyes. "You were right," she murmurs back, removing her hand from her pocket and bringing it up to cup the side of his face. He watches her curiously, but doesn't pull back. Slowly, she runs her thumb across his mouth, biting back a smile when she sees his lips part. She swipes her thumb across his jaw, smearing the blood gathered below his split lip.

He shivers at the fleeting touch, a low rumble pulling from his throat. Lucy grins up at him, then pulls back suddenly. Natsu frowns slightly, confused, but she just sends him a wink and turns on her heel to walk away, leaving him stunned behind her.

She makes it nearly ten feet before he snaps back to his senses. He calls after her, "What about your name?" Lucy pauses, tossing him a glance over her shoulder. For a moment, he doesn't move, but then Natsu takes a hesitant step towards her, teeth pulling at the ring in his lip in a way that makes Lucy want to take the loop into her mouth and—

"Come find me when you're done," she tells him, biting her own lip absentmindedly, glancing from his eyes to his lips. Suddenly, she wishes she hadn't brought Gajeel along with her. She shakes the thought away, a smile worming onto her lips. "I'll be outside," she promises, nodding towards the doors. He glances behind her, then over his shoulder at the ring, where the announcer is still screaming at him to get his ass back over there.

He turns back to her quickly, heaving a sigh. "One hour," he tells her, throat bobbing as he swallows. Lucy watches the movement, watches him shift on his feet again, his fingers twitching, itching for a fight. He glances behind him once more, grimacing when he sees the announcer pushing his way through the crowd. He swears under his breath, then turns to her expectantly.

Her eyes narrow just the slightest as she considers it. An hour isn't long and she was planning to stick around regardless of how long it takes. She smiles at him and it's all teeth, a challenge in her eyes. "Thirty minutes," she tells him, mostly teasing. Honestly, she doesn't plan on going anywhere until he finds her again, even if it takes all night.

Natsu groans, and she finds herself liking that sound. The look he gives her is smothering, heavy and thick, almost smoky. "Forty-five," he bargains, green eyes glinting in the low light. He wets his lips once again, his tongue tracing across the ring in his skin slowly, almost teasing.

Lucy leans in close, lips almost touching his. "Deal," she breathes against him, pulling back just as quickly. Her lips twist into a wide smile as he stares at her, grinning himself. She twists on her heel, stalking towards the doors, feeling his gaze on her back until she disappears entirely.

* * *

Lucy almost wishes she hadn't agreed to forty-five minutes. Almost. Not for want of leaving, of course, but because Gajeel simply wouldn't shut up. He'd been whining since they left the warehouse just over a half-hour ago, wanting them to leave and get something to eat because he doesn't want to wait around for her "boyfriend." This, of course, was not the exact word Gajeel had used, his being much cruder, with insinuations between the sheets.

She had sweetly reminded him that there just so happens to be a Denny's nearby and "would you like to go _there_ , Gajeel?" Her smile had been fangs and poison, and he had quieted quite quickly afterwards.

Good. When she brought him along, she had been hoping for Gajeel to be the strong, silent type. Have him be backup incase of a demon or man that got too handsy with her. She wasn't anticipating Gajeel to complain for half the night. After about the first thirty minutes she was fed up and had thrown him a couple fives, telling him to go to the nearby gas station and grab them both something to eat.

Gajeel at least had the decency to hesitate, making her promise to call him if anything went wrong. She shooed him off, but promised him anyway. Anything to get him to quiet down.

Fifteen minutes later and he's still not back and Natsu still hasn't come out. Lucy sighs, leaning back against the wall and closing her eyes. It's been a long couple of days. She sucks in a shaky breath, running a hand along the side of her face. Her foot begins to tap absentmindedly, a hum leaving her as she waits.

There's the rumble on an engine, and Lucy turns in time to see her car pull into the grass being used for parking. The headlights blind her for a moment, but they go out quickly as Gajeel shuts off the car, throwing open the driver's door haphazardly. She rolls her eyes, grimacing when he actually _kicks_ the door shut.

She's going to have a talk with him about that later.

Gajeel begins stalking towards her just as the warehouse door is shoved open, the heavy metal squealing in protest. Lucy's head snaps to the side, squinting slightly to see who it is, a smile pulling at her lips as she realizes it's who she's been waiting for.

Natsu catches sight of her a moment later, his own lips pulling into a tired smile as he takes a step towards her, brushing his sweaty hair out of his eyes. He grins down at her, stopping once he's only a few feet away. Lucy's gaze peruses his form, noting the way his shirt clings to his skin, the way his chest is heaving from the last fight. He says nothing, waiting for her to speak. Behind him, Gajeel sends her a wink, a sandwich already shoved into his mouth.

Lucy glances down at her phone quickly, checking the time. She giggles when she sees it, smiling up at him. "Forty-five minutes," she tells Natsu, who huffs a laugh in return.

When he looks back at her, he's smiling, something almost fond in his eyes as he peers down at her, shoving his hands in his pockets. "So can I get a name?" he asks after a long moment, more curious than suggestive.

She smiles, shoving off the wall and closing the slight distance between them. "Lucy," she tells him, eyeing a teasing line of sweat running down the side of his neck. Her gaze snaps back up to his, then slides passed him, over his shoulder. "And that's Gajeel," she says, nodding at her friend.

Natsu stills slightly, glancing back over his shoulder to look at the other man. Gajeel catches his eye and winks before taking another bite of his sandwich. His grin is wolfish, though not entirely unfriendly.

"I didn't know you had company," Natsu says, turning back to her. There's a stiffness to his shoulders, and she expects to find anger in his gaze, but is shocked to find something like nervousness there instead.

Her lips press into a thin line. He's had trouble with people before, would guess that most of the fighters have. Natsu has been fighting all night, but as soon as he sees Gajeel his shoulders roll, joints popping and cracking. His hands tighten into fists.

Lucy tilts her head to the side, batting her eyes at him. He wavers slightly, glancing between her and Gajeel behind him. "What?" she teases lightly, hoping to ease the tension in his shoulders. "Looking to get me alone in the dark?" she asks him, voice dipping into a whisper only he can hear. His breath catches in his throat and she grins.

Natsu wets his lips, glancing from her eyes down to her mouth. His green eyes are intoxicating when they meet hers, hooded and low. "Only if you wanted to," he murmurs back, leaning in slightly before jerking backwards when he hears Gajeel take a step closer.

Lucy huffs and rolls her eyes, places a hand on her hip and cocks it to the side. "Relax, Dragneel, we're not going to mug you," she tells him seriously when she sees his jaw clench. Behind him, Gajeel frowns, looking half-ready to argue with her. She sends him a stern look, baring her teeth. "We're _not_ mugging him, Gajeel."

Natsu stiffens suddenly, head snapping around to look at her like he's seen a ghost. She simply blinks back, confused. "How do you know my name?" he snarls suddenly, rounding on her. He takes a step towards her, but it's not threatening, despite the look in his eyes.

Gajeel growls at him, but Lucy holds up her hand, holding him back without a word.

"You're Igneel's kid," she replies simply, shrugging. Natsu deflates instantly, sucking in a shuddery breath as he stares down at her, eyes wide. For a long moment he does nothing, simply stares, gaze burning into hers.

Finally, he shakes his head, running a hand through his messy hair. "What the hell do you know about Igneel?" he asks her, not angry this time, just confused. Her heart squeezes in her chest, then sinks to her stomach. He doesn't know anything either.

It's Gajeel who speaks up, though Natsu's eyes don't leave her. "Only that he disappeared off our radar over fourteen years ago."

His gaze slides to the right of her, eyes narrowing just the slightest as he sees something in the darkness. Lucy starts to turn, a chill sweeping through her. There's a sudden snarl, and then Lucy catches sight of a large creature lunging for her. An arm wraps around her waist and she finds herself thrown to the ground, Natsu landing heavily on top of her just as a gun goes off.

* * *

 **AN: Hello! Have a chapter! Be sure to review! And check out Berserk if you haven't already!**

 **Things kick off next chapter, so be ready! I may start updating this twice a week, though I haven't made up my mind yet!**

 **EDIT: I've decided that, going on a weekly basis, I'll only be updating twice a week if reviews stay up! Feedback=sooner chapters. I'll always be updating at least once a week though, so it's not like refusing to update unless I get X reviews. I'm not going to be that person!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Welcome back to chapter four! I hope you enjoy it and be sure to leave a review when you finish! Huge thank you to everyone that left a review on chapter two, you guys are amazing!**

* * *

 **Incandescent**

 **Chapter Four**

Lucy's head hits the ground roughly, cracking against the cement hard enough to steal the breath from her lungs and make her see stars. A low whine tears from her throat and she squeezes her eyes shut, biting back a curse as her skull throbs. Above her, Natsu murmurs a quiet word that's lost in the chaos. Another gun goes off, closer to her this time, and Lucy can only hope that it's Gajeel and not someone else.

They've been having trouble with Ivan for months now. Lucy wouldn't put it passed him to follow the two of them out here and have them killed while Makarov isn't around. It's something he would do, especially if he caught word about them looking for new recruits.

Ivan thinks everything is a declaration of war, never mind that they're trying to keep people alive.

Though, that always has been a foreign concept to Ivan. He's never cared about anyone but himself. Not his son, not his sister, not his ailing mother.

An arm slips around Lucy's back, Natsu lying heavy on top of her as he shields her from whatever's attacked them. She rolls her eyes and shoves at his chest harshly. He pulls back, frowning down at her. She hooks a leg around his hip, using his surprise to flip the pair of them over so that she's resting against his hips, a hand braced on his chest, the other going for the knife shoved into the back of her boot.

Below her, Natsu grunts, his hands settling against her thighs. Lucy ignores him, her lips pursing as she glances around the parking lot, looking for whatever it was that attacked them. Nothing moves around them, the shadows still, not a sound coming from the darkness surrounding them. She grits her teeth, flicking open her pocket knife and brandishing it in one hand, already knowing they're being watched. She can feel eyes on her, waiting.

"Now's not really the time for that, Bunny." The gravel crunches as Gajeel steps up beside them, his gaze on the shadows as well, his jaw clenched and gaze focused. There's a lilt of amusement in his words, but they're gruffer than usual, a testament to Gajeel's growing rage. He never has liked surprises.

Lucy glances up at him briefly, slipping off of Natsu's lap and rising slowly to her feet, dragging him up with her. He comes willingly, only a step away as she grips his arm tighter than she means to. Natsu merely steps closer, until she can see the way his throat bobs and his arms flex, ready for a fight.

She tears her gaze away from him, staring at Gajeel. "What is it?" she asks through clenched teeth, the words coming out as a hiss. She straightens her back, squinting through the darkness. The boys settle on either side of her, also looking to the shadows.

Gajeel doesn't spare her a glance. "Hellhound," he snarls back, gun trained in the direction the creature must have run off to.

Lucy frowns, wanting to ask if he's sure, but knowing Gajeel wouldn't take kindly to her second guessing him. It's not that she doesn't believe him, Gajeel has never given her a reason not to trust him, but Hellhounds are a rare breed. Most don't allow themselves to be summoned, least of all by dumbass teenagers playing around with witchcraft. Lucy herself has only ever seen one Hellhound summoned, and that was for a class at Saint Katherine's.

Because Hellhounds aren't just summoned, they're _sent_.

There's always a purpose for them being there, and usually it's not a good one. People die when Hellhounds are summoned. It's why they stopped using them for practice at the school.

"Dammit," Lucy snarls under her breath, her nails digging into Natsu's arm roughly, hard enough to leave little crescent shapes against his skin. He doesn't flinch though, merely glances between her and the shadows. She wonders how much he knows about this world, how much Igneel told him. Hopefully, enough to keep him from getting killed tonight.

She'll protect him if she can, of course, but she won't put his life about Gajeel's, not when he was never supposed to be here in the first place. Lucy would venture to guess that Gajeel wouldn't save him over her either, less because he doesn't care about outsiders and more because he cares too much about the ones he does let in.

A low snarl spills from the shadows, a shiver creeping up Lucy's spine at the low, wicked sound. Gajeel raises his gun, snarling back at the creature, and Natsu swears under his breath, unflinching even as a large, black dog shuffles out of the shadows, snapping and growling at the three of them.

Gajeel glances sideways at her, looking more annoyed than anything else. She can't be sure if it's because of the sneak attack or the fact that he didn't get to finish his crappy dollar store sandwich, and frankly she doesn't care much.

"Do you remember the incantation to dispel it?" he asks, low and gravely, gaze shifting between her and the Hellhound, who's just staring at them, snuffling at the ground and growling at them, but otherwise ignoring them completely.

Lucy frowns, feeling something off about the situation, but she shakes the thought away. Even if the Hellhound isn't attacking them, it doesn't mean the beast won't attack anyone else. They need to handle this before anyone gets hurt or worse.

She wets her lips. "I think so," she finally tells him, gazing curiously at the black dog. It's shaggy, lupine in the face and as large as a horse, but it's hardly paying them any attention. Lucy knows that if it wanted to kill them, they'd all be dead by now. It's just waiting through, practically ignoring them.

She can tell that Gajeel doesn't like it, but she figures that has more to do with him being a dog person than it does the Hellhound ignoring them. All things considered, that's rather good luck. They could already be dead by now, but they aren't.

Gajeel snarls at her suddenly, catching the dog's attention quickly. "You think?" Gajeel snaps, more frustrated than angry. It grates on her nerves more than she'd like to admit. He means well, but he's also being a dick. There's really no winning when it comes to him, she learned that a long time ago.

"I'm a bit rusty on hell beasts," she tells him, rolling her eyes as best she can without looking away from the black dog. It blinks back at her, tongue lolling, and then leaps towards them.

Gajeel swears something awful and grabs her by the back of her shirt, practically throwing her at Natsu. The pair of them hit the ground hard, Lucy on top of him, and she sees Gajeel dive in the other direction as the beast lands where they were just standing. It howls, long and low, then bounds off into the shadows, drool dripping from it's jaws as it snaps at the air where they were just standing.

Natsu hooks an arm around her waist, hauling her up with him as he stands, but says nothing. Gajeel glares after the dog, teeth bared threateningly. She doubts it will do anything to scare it off, but she doesn't tell him this.

He looks over at her, scowling. "Well, maybe you should practice more," he tells her scathingly, something bitter dripping from his tongue.

Lucy rips herself away from Natsu and stomps towards her friend. Gajeel, for his part, doesn't back down, simply glares right back at her. He's crossed a line and he knows it, they both do, but Gajeel is too stubborn to apologize and Lucy doesn't have the patience to forgive and forget. It puts them at an impasse, and that's a dangerous thing for hunters. They never know when they're going to die, so it's best not to hold grudges.

She grabs him by the front of the shirt, dragging him down to her level.

"Gajeel," she snarls in his ear, low and warning. He doesn't flinch, doesn't move, though his free hand clenches into a tight fist. She forces him to meet her eyes, watches as something like an apology stirs in his gaze. She doesn't care. "I will take that gun and shove it straight up your ass, so help me—"

A throat clears behind her, cutting her off, and Lucy twists on her heel, glaring at Natsu. He looks almost sheepish, but also confused and more than a little angry. "What the hell was that?" he asks them, glancing between them rapidly. His eyes stop on her, imploring, and Lucy bites her lower lip, not sure what to say.

Her job was to bring him back to Makarov and let him explain, that was it. She's not supposed to be dealing with this crap, least of all in the middle of a damn fight. Natsu's eyes are honest, though, and they make her pause. He deserves to know what he's getting into. It's more of a choice than Lucy ever got, and she knows this all must be horrible for him, the not knowing, the monsters in the dark.

She takes a deep breath, stepping away from Gajeel slowly.

Gajeel speaks before she can, snorting at Natsu, his shoulders shaking with a sarcastic laugh. "Oh, great!" he spits, his smile bitter as he glares at Natsu. "The civilian's trying to be helpful." His snark isn't appreciated and they all know it, but Lucy doesn't have the energy to get angry with him again so soon.

Instead, she grits her teeth and swallows down her anger. "He can fight," she reminds Gajeel. They both know he can. Lucy also knows that that's not nearly enough. His fists won't save him in a fight like this, but at least it's something. They could have been dealt a worse hand against a Hellhound, could have left the gun behind or could have been killed already.

But they're alive and that's what matters. They can handle a black dog from Hell. They've done so before, if only once in a controlled environment. Lucy managed to send it back then, and she can do it again.

Gajeel isn't nearly as optimistic. He snorts, rolling his eyes, practically glaring at Natsu over her head. "Yeah, a couple street fighters," he agrees, smiling though it isn't friendly at all, "not a damn Hellhound." For some reason, Gajeel laughs, his shoulders quaking, and then he lets out a short, amused bark. "We're all going to die out here," he murmurs, more defeated than she's ever heard him.

Lucy bites her lip and looks away, her shoulders drooping as she curls her arms around herself, squeezing tightly. She never should have let him come with her, should have just told Makarov "no" and damned the consequences. Makarov wouldn't have been happy with her, but at least Gajeel wouldn't be in this mess.

She wanted to help him out, let him make up for the last mission, not get him killed.

Natsu tenses, his lips pulling back over his teeth as he glares at Gajeel. The fighter takes a step forward, straightening to his full height. He towers over her, but is still several inches short of matching Gajeel. This, however, doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest. What Natsu lacks in height he certainly makes up for in raw determination. He locks eyes with Gajeel, not threatening, but not friendly either. "I've got this," he says lowly, hand drifting down to the hem of his shirt and yanking it upwards, revealing a shiny, silver pistol tucked beneath his waistband.

It gleams in the darkness, pale against his tanned skin, and Lucy finds herself unable to look away from the sliver of skin revealed at his hip, gaze locked on the gun that she hadn't noticed before. A shiver runs down her spine, and she glances up at him almost nervously.

Gajeel looks almost impressed though. Almost. It's there in the quirk of his brow and the slight gleam in his eyes. Other than that, his expression doesn't change. Still pissed. Still frustrated. Still unbelievably pessimistic.

Her gaze snaps back to Natsu, to the gun, and she swallows thickly, chewing the inside of her cheek. She can hear the Hellhound circling them, pacing just out of sight, but near enough to let them know he's still there. She wonders if it's a threat or if it's toying with them. Possibly a bit of both. Either way, she's almost more concerned with the gun than she is the dog.

Demons she can handle.

"What were you planning on doing with that?" she asks him gently, suspicion in her tone. She's not usually one for mistrust, but there's something off about bringing a gun to a meeting, especially considering he thought she would be alone. Maybe her perception was off after all.

Natsu wets his lips, holding her gaze. "Nothing," he tells her quietly, voice low as Gajeel takes a step away from them, trying to pinpoint the circling Hellhound as best as he can. Natsu swallows thickly, pulling the gun from his waist and letting his shirt drop back down. "I wasn't planning on doing anything."

She believes him.

"Lucy!" Gajeel snaps, drawing her attention back to him. He stares out into the darkness, teeth pulling at one of the two rings in his lip. She stares back, waiting for him to speak. "What do we have?" he asks suddenly, looking at her only briefly.

It takes her a moment to understand what he means. Lucy frowns, then begins looking around the area for anything they might have on hand. "Two guns," she tells him, "a knife, a half-eaten ham sandwich." Gajeel shoots her a nasty look, but says nothing is response. "Cellphones," she continues, pausing when she catches sight of her car several yards away, "a car if we can get to it." She mumbles the last part, but he hears her anyway.

It would be risky, making a run for the car, but it could also buy them time if they really need it. It's better than being out in the open like this.

Gajeel isn't nearly as excited about the list as she is. "How is the car going to help us?" he asks her, snorting. If it were any other time, she would rip that condescending look right off his face, but now isn't the time.

She loves Gajeel, she really does, but sometimes she wants to toss him out of a very high window and watch him fall. Not high enough to kill him, but just enough to leave a couple of decent bruises. Lucy supposes that's cruel of her, but she also knows that Gajeel wouldn't respect her if she was easy on him.

"Well," Lucy starts, frustration clear in her tone. Her words drip with venom and she sees the boys exchange a nervous look. Good, she thinks, let them be afraid. Lucy may not be physically stronger than either of them, but she damn well knows that she can be twice as intimidating if she wants to. At the academy, most people have learned not to piss her off if they can help it. "Do you have a translation book in the car?" she asks her friend, smile tight, more teeth than anything.

The only reason she bothers to ask is because hers seems to have disappeared from her room. On the off chance that Gajeel tossed the damn thing in her car she might be able to get them out of this mess quicker than anticipated. It's a long shot, but they don't have many good options.

Gajeel looks at her like she's sprouted a second head, then laughs. "Hell no!" His shoulders shake as he tries to compose himself, but it's futile. Gajeel isn't one for laughing in desperate situations unless he's being ironic, but when he really starts laughing it's hard to get him to stop. "You know I don't study that shit," he grumbles between snorts of laughter, seemingly amused at her suggestion.

Oh, she definitely does. Gajeel certainly isn't being kept around for his prowess when it comes to anything that requires finesse. Latin studies, charms, summons, Gajeel is as useless is about as useless with them as they come. He's more of the "hack and slash beat it until it's dead" type. He's the muscle, if only because he can't do much else. Actually, that's unfair of her to say. He's better at classifications than most. He can name nearly every type of demon right down to the smallest subclass, and that's certainly nothing to sneeze at.

Unfortunately, that particular skill isn't going to do shit for them right now.

She sends him a thin-lipped smile, "Well maybe you should start." There's poison in her words and Gajeel turns to her and snarls, practically hissing at her.

"Hey!" Natsu barks, drawing their attention to him. He gives a sharp nod with his chin, gesturing to something in front of them. "If you two are done fighting, maybe we should pay attention to the giant dog."

The pair glance passed him, watching as the dog creeps out of the shadows. Lucy chews her lip roughly, shoulders going tense. The weapons are useless to them. Her knife is steel and so are Gajeel's bullets, and she doubts Natsu would be carrying around iron bullets with him.

They hadn't thought to pack for a demon, not tonight. The bullets might slow it down, but they won't stop the Hellhound. Lucy needs to check the car for her book. If she can find the right incantation, she can send it back and they'll all be on their way.

She needs that damn book.

"Distract it," she tells Gajeel, flicking her knife closed and shoving it back into her boot.

He frowns down at her, going very still suddenly. "What are you going to do?" It's more of a demand than a question. There's a flicker of something nervous in his gaze, and for a moment she thinks he might grab her.

Lucy wets her lips. "Something stupid."

She turns on her heel before either boy can stop her and bolts towards the car. Behind her, Gajeel screams her name, absolute horror in his tone, but she doesn't stop, just keeps running. There's a snarl, then cursing and shouting. She's only made it a dozen feet when the dog gives chase, growling and snapping at her.

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 **AN: If this hits 50+ reviews I'll update again on Wednesday. This is a cliffhanger and I feel bad about that!**

 **Remember to review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Welcome back to chapter five! I hope you enjoy it and be sure to leave a review when you finish! Huge thank you to everyone that left a review on chapter four, you guys are amazing!**

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 **Incandescent**

 **Chapter Five**

A clawed foot seizes her ankle and yanks her leg out from beneath her. Lucy hits the ground hard, a choked scream lodging in her throat as the back of her head cracks against the ground. A blinding whiteness surrounds her, and the world goes quiet, absolutely silent. Something heavy settles over her, a pressure on her chest pushing her into the dirt and slamming the breath from her lungs. Lucy wheezes, head fuzzy and thoughts thick as she shoves blindly at whatever is on top of her. For a moment, she feels like she's underwater, everything is muted and slow, distorted.

She pushes once more at the weight above her, gaining a low snarl in return. Something thick and wet drips onto her face, sticky liquid running down the side of her face and slipping down her neck. Lucy gags at the smell, something like decay filling the air. It's pungent, thick, and she can practically taste it on her tongue: blood and death and wet dog.

Bile rises in her throat, but Lucy swallows it back. Her vision comes back into focus and suddenly she's faced with a giant, black dog. It's face is more lupine than she expected, snout long and ears pointed. Thick, shaggy fur clouds her vision and sharp claws dig into her chest. It lowers its face close to hers, growl so low and threatening that Lucy freezes very briefly.

It doesn't attack, doesn't do anything, and that confuses Lucy. It's playing with them, she knows, but she can't figure out why. Hellhounds are volatile, they can be controlled by a master, yes, but only to some extent. It's why they don't summon them at SKAZKA anymore. Too many accidents. Too many deaths.

It could have killed them by now, if it wanted to, but it hasn't, and honestly that scares the shit out of her.

They need to get the damn book of the car.

It puts more weight on her chest and Lucy can feel her bones grind and threaten to snap, can feel an ache begin in her chest and can feel her lungs screaming for air that won't come. Where the fuck is Gajeel? Why isn't he helping her? Lucy shakes the thoughts away, biting down a terrible thought. He was between her and the dog, there's no telling what could have happened to him.

Her fingers twitch violently, arm straining towards her boot but coming up short. Her nails rake across her calf, drawing thin lines of blood as she claws for something—anything—that might be able to help her. A whine spills from between her lips, but it's weak, desperate. She manages to bend her leg, free arm batting at the creature's face in order to shove it back. The Hellhound doesn't move, and Lucy snarls as she slips her hand into her boot.

 _Go for the throat._

Laxus' voice booms through her head and Lucy doesn't hesitate as she swings. The Hellhound yelps, squealing in unexpected pain. Lucy almost feels bad, almost. She swallows any empathy she has back, then swings again with her knife. There's a sick squelching sound, something wet that makes her stomach roll, and when Lucy pulls back her hand comes away red and damp.

The pressure on her chest lessens, but only momentarily. The Hellhound doesn't back away, only edges closer in order to roar in her face. Golden eyes lock with hers, but they're empty, hollow. There's no humanity left there, it's all been sucked away by the other side.

It's not fair what happens to them, but that doesn't change the fact that Lucy's looking into the eyes of an enemy. An enemy sent by her own _Uncle_. She wonders if he knew it was her here, if he just didn't care. It wouldn't surprise her, he never has given a damn about her, about Laxus, about any of them. He didn't care when her parents were ripped to pieces, didn't care when Laxus was in the hospital for six months. She shouldn't expect him to care now.

What is it that Laxus always says? That she expects too much from people? Yeah, he's probably right about that.

She snapped out of her thoughts by a snarl and large teeth closing in on her. The Hellhound opens its maw, teeth sharp and yellowed as they near her face. Drool drips onto her skin and she flinches at the warm, wet feeling sliding along her cheeks. It smells like rotting flesh and something like sour milk, too sweet and sickly.

A bang rips through the air, so close that Lucy startles, her eyes jerking open wide. The dog yips, and then the weight is gone from her chest. Lucy gasps for breath, taking in greedy gulps of air as she rolls to the side, onto her stomach. She dry heaves, feeling sick and weak, and her fingers grasp blindly for the hand that appears in the corner of her vision.

Natsu drops to his knees beside her, arm curling around her back and jerking her up against his chest. He pulls her to her feet, a hand pressed tight against her hip as he points his gun towards the Hellhound, who merely snarls back at him in return.

Lucy almost laughs as she sees the demons wounds closing, slow and steady, but much faster than they should be. They're outmatched. Natsu's gun is just a gun and Gajeel's bullets are meant for people, not monsters, and Lucy's knife isn't iron and that makes it useless.

They were careless tonight, she knows it and she knows Gajeel realizes it too. They both should have known better, especially after what happened on Gajeel's last job, but neither of them were thinking that Ivan would pull this bullshit tonight. He knows better than to antagonize Makarov like this. He should know better than _this_.

And now they've made a mess of things and Makarov's going to be pissed and Gajeel is probably going to be thrown out, all because she had to go and find Igneel's fucking son at a damn illegal fighting ring.

Lucy doesn't think things could possibly get worse from here.

She stumbles, but Natsu's grip on her is firm, steady. "I've got you," he promises, voice low. His lips brush against the shell of her ear as he speaks, and Lucy slips her own arm around his waist. "You're okay." He squeezes her hip, and she can hear his teeth grind together he's so close.

"Thanks," she breathes back, giving his waist an appreciative squeeze before ducking out from under his arm, shifting away from him so they aren't such an easy target. Lucy glances over her shoulder briefly, catching a glance of Gajeel picking himself off the ground from where he'd clearly been thrown. Lucy sighs in relief, noticing that, besides a few bumps and bruises, he seems relatively unharmed.

Good, that's one less thing that she has to worry about.

Natsu glances at her out of the corner of his eye, head tilted to one side and a positively wicked look in his eyes. She expected horror or unadulterated fear, not the cheeky amusement she sees there. He's brave, she things, very brave, but also a little bit cocky and stupid, and she means that in the nicest way possible.

"Mind telling me what the hell is going on?" he calls out to her, drawing the Hellhounds gaze towards him. It snarls, but Natsu either doesn't notice or doesn't care, his gaze still locked on Lucy.

His question surprises her into a laugh. The fighting has gotten very real all of a sudden, and now he wants to have a conversation? Granted, she and Gajeel probably set a terrible example, but they're both trained in what they do. She's been doing field work for nearly ten years now. She's allowed to bicker with Gajeel, if only a little. "Later," she tells the fighter, fingers squeezing around her knife slowly, flexing.

Natsu snorts, but doesn't sound upset when he speaks. "Promise?" he asks, a teasing lilt to his voice. It nearly drags a smile out of her, but she steels her expression, gaze flicking between the Hellhound and the car behind it. She needs to get over there _now_.

Lucy considers him for a moment, lips pressed into a tight line. She bites back her amusement. "No."

She surprises him into a laugh, and surprises herself when she feels satisfied at doing so. "Fair enough," he replies, green eyes flickering with something playful that feels entirely out of place in the middle of a very real, very serious fight. Moreover, she finds herself not caring. A bit ill timed and inappropriate, maybe, but there are certainly worse things that could be happening.

Frankly, they could both be dead. She might as well flirt with the hot guy while she has the chance to. It's not like she gets the option to do so on a regular basis. At Saint Katherine's everyone is wither taken, related to her, or might as well be related to her.

There's also the lesser known, forth "been there, done that" option, but she tries not to think about that too much.

"Think you can get me to that car?" Lucy asks him, nodding behind the Hellhound. Her head throbs with the movement, but she ignores the pain. There's no point dwelling on it right now. She'll just have to wait until they get back to the dorms and hopefully Mira will be willing to look her over.

Natsu snorts, as if she's insulted him. Maybe she has. "Fuck yeah I can," he tells her—and maybe it's a trick of the light, but for a moment she could swear he just winked at her. Her face flushes despite the fact they'd been flirting horribly earlier in the night, but she doesn't let her mind focus on the small action for too long.

"How modest," she replies, sarcasm oozing from her words. He chuckles, low and throaty, and Lucy bites back a smile.

He raises his gun and takes two steps to the right. The Hellhound follows his movement, eyes trained on Natsu and the glint of his gun in the moonlight. It snarls, twisting around to stare at him, and Lucy takes the distraction, leaping forward once more.

She makes it farther this time, slamming into the side of the car when her legs are ripped out from under neither her. She rolls onto her back, kicking blindly, satisfaction burning in her gut when she hears a pained yelp. Her leg hurts, stings badly and she can feel something wet sliding down her leg. Lucy thinks it might be blood, but she doesn't dare stop to check as she gropes for the door handle.

Lucy yanks hard, but it doesn't budge. Panic wells in her throat. She pulls again, but it sticks. Jammed, she thinks, but when she glances up, she sees the car is fine, not even a dent from where she hit it.

Realization hits her, and suddenly she feels stupid.

Gajeel locked the damn door. And she doesn't have the god damn keys.

Lucy whirls around, ready to start screaming at her friend for locking her fucking car, but the words stick in her throat when she sees something awful. The Hellhound has Natsu backed into a corner, there's no where for him to run. He catches her eye and smiles, but it's tense, and she can only watch as the Hellhound bats him aside like he's nothing. Natsu's body slams against the brick wall of the warehouse, a sick crack splitting the air before Natsu hits the ground, limp.

He doesn't get back up and guilt and absolute horror twists at Lucy's gut.

She can only stand there in shock as the Hellhound rounds on her. A shiver runs down her spine as she stares at those pale, yellow eyes. It snarls again, lips curving back over wicked fangs. There's blood on its teeth and she feels sick, absolutely sick.

That's not what makes her pause, however. No, it's what's coming out of the woods that makes Lucy's heart sink straight to her stomach.

A second pair of gold eyes peer back at her from the trees, a low, rumbling sound coming from a moving shadow. She doesn't need to watch longer to now what it is. Hellhounds have been known to travel in packs. The first must have been distracting them, waiting for the others to show up. There's two now, possibly more hiding out in the darkness, and Lucy can barely _think_.

She needs her book, now, but she can't open the door without her keys. She could try breaking the glass, but knows she isn't strong enough to do so, she would only break her fingers if she tried. It would be pointless.

She needs to go back to Gajeel. Needs her keys. Needs her _book_.

Lucy is running again before she knows it, sprinting towards Gajeel. Both hounds follow her, one springing from the trees and the other abandoning Natsu's still body. For a moment, Lucy thinks he might be dead, but she banishes the thought from her mind, not wanting to entertain the horrible idea. She doesn't know how she'll be able to live with herself if she's just killed him.

He had nothing to do with this world and she had to go and drag him into it. She should have just left things alone. If Igneel had wanted Natsu found, he would have contacted Makarov, wouldn't he? Granted, she found Gajeel on accident as well, but he at least knew something about Saint Katherine's. She didn't pull him into this mess blind.

"Gajeel!" she screams, gaining her friends attention as she bolts towards him. The Hellhound follows and she barrels into Gajeel's chest, knocking him to the ground as the hound lunges. It flies over their heads and Gajeel grunts beneath her, arms winding around her back to hold her steady. She bats his hands away. They don't have time for this. "Gajeel," she repeats, frantic, "we have a problem."

He looks at her like she's stupid, and Lucy bares her teeth at him, unamused. "No fucking shit," he mumbles back, wheezing when Lucy purposely elbows him in the gut as she scrambles to her feet. He glares up at her, but lets her yank him back to his feet and jerk him around like a doll. He hates being man-handled, but Lucy doesn't give a shit at the moment.

"A bigger problem!" she snaps, grabbing him by the chin and forcing him to look at the second hound. Natsu still isn't moving, but she thinks that might be for the best. The hounds will leave him be, so long as she have something else to play with.

Gajeel swears loudly, a sharp "fuck" cutting through the air. Lucy ignores him, reaching into his pockets and digging for her keys. Gajeel murmurs something, shifting awkwardly, but Lucy ignores him, not giving a damn if she's making him uncomfortable.

"Are you fucking crazy?" he gripes, glaring at her when she jerks away from him, her keys clenched between her fingers. "You could have been killed!" he snaps, eyes furious.

She ignores him, shaking her head rapidly. "We need the damn book," she reminds him, voice sharp. Gajeel snarls at her, but Lucy doesn't care, preoccupied with planning a mad dash back to the car. Gajeel would have to distract them while she worked, but she knows he can do it. He's always been resourceful like that. She trusts him to watch her back. It won't take her long to find the right incantation; she has the page bookmarked for safety reasons.

With luck, the whole thing shouldn't take more than thirty seconds. Less if she runs fast.

Gajeel catches onto her plan without a word, a low groan pulling from his throat as he points his gun at the nearest Hellhound. "Seriously?" he spits, sending her a mean look that she brushes off. "Makarov will kill me if the dog eats you," he warns her. She thinks it might be a joke, but doesn't feel like asking.

Lucy flashes him the sweetest smile she can muster, more teeth than anything else. "Than don't let it eat me, Gajeel," she snarls back, batting her eyelashes at him. He rolls his eyes, but when he looks at her again he's completely serious.

"You better not fucking die, Bunny," he demands, glaring at her and then glaring at the hounds as they creep closer.

"No promises."

What happens next is a blur. Lucy runs and she can hear gunfire and squeals of pain. There's snarling and then screaming and she's not sure if it's from her or Gajeel or someone else. Her headlights flash as she unlocks the car and her arm stings as she rips the door open, nearly catching her chin with the sharp metal door.

More screaming, more bullets. She digs through the glove compartment, half-formed words spilling from her lips as she begs. A shrill sound, one she doesn't recognize. A red book, worn leather and blue ink. She rips it open, thumbing through the pages as she crawls back out of the car. Another scream, she knows it's Gajeel's.

The incantation spills from her lips and she turns around. Gajeel is down. Natsu is down. The Hellhounds are snapping and snarling and coming closer. She reads each word carefully, skull pounding. Her gaze swims in and out of focus and she can taste blood on her tongue. Yellow eyes burn against hers and suddenly shadows are swallowing them whole.

The hounds disappear without a sound and the next thing Lucy knows, she kneeling by Gajeel's side, rolling him onto his back and wiping blood from his face. His side is damp and sticky and she knows he's bleeding.

"Fuck, Gajeel," she murmurs, putting pressure on his side. He hisses at her, batting at her hands, but she ignores him. "Did it bite you?" she asks, glancing up at him, wide-eyed. He glares, but his expression softens when he meets her eyes, noticing the blind panic in them.

He swallows thickly, wetting his lips. "Just a scratch," he mumbles, successfully evading her hands and standing up, albeit wobbly. She catches him before he can stumble, pressing against his hip none too gently. He growls at her and Lucy's fingers come away red.

"Just a scratch," she mocks.

Gajeel sends her a dirty look, pulling away from her arms and stumbling towards where Natsu lies. "Don't be a bitch, Lucy," he snorts. She doesn't take it to heart, noticing the small, fond smile pulling at his lips. He stops when he reaches Natsu's side, sighing heavily. He watches as Lucy drops to her knees beside the unconscious male, fingers groping for a pulse. She relaxes when she finds one. "What are we going to do about loverboy?" Gajeel asks her, crossing his arms tightly.

Lucy bites at her lip, glancing around for something they can use. Her gaze lands on the car. She hesitates for a moment, knowing what she's about to say is technically illegal.

"Put him in the backseat."

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 **AN: Not sure how I feel about this chapter tbh. I'm not really enjoying this fic as much as I thought I would? I don't know. I think after chapter 6 I might do a large time skip and just move ahead to the parts I actually want to write. Maybe. At least a week or two time skip, maybe a bit more. I just don't have the patience to draw certain things out. May discontinue this if I'm really not happy with it. Depends.**

 **Anyway! I few a few new fics coming! A dragon tamer au, a soul eater au, and a friends with benefits au! Get for those!**

 **EDIT: If this does get 50+ reviews by Wednesday, I will try to update by 7PM that night!**


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